ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. rest — a break
  3. rest — what's left
  4. file — a tool
  5. bass — low music
  6. mine — for digging
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. present — the time now
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. present — a gift
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stand — to bear
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bass — the fish
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rest — what's left
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. file — a document
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. prune — to trim
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. file — a line of people

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com